Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Elements of Search Engine Optimization include:

1) Page Building: a) Have keywords in your page title tag, in your headlines and h# tags, in your copy, in your alt tags and even in your url.

2) Link building: a) inbound links should have keywords in the anchor text (they probably will if your page has a keyword in the headline or title). b) You links back to your site, but it's the quality ones the matter.

3) Blog links: a) mention of your site in blogs is important.

4) Social networking puts my content in other places: a) Social news, or citizen news sites (Digg, Newsvine etc.). b) Social bookmarking (Delicious, StumbleUpon). c) Social networks (MySpace, Facebook, Flickr). All these offer opportunities to take your content where the readers are, with the aim of driving traffic back to your site, or just getting your name out there. The niche community aspect of these sites is both their advantage (pick the right niche for your story and they will love it) and it's disadvantage (seriously diminishing returns on your work).

5) Buying Adwords: Pay per click advertising at Google and Yahoo.

6) Press releases: Make sure you promote your new series with a press release. Maintain an email list that allows press interested in what your doing to sign up for your press releases.


In the news business our whole sites are linkbait. But are there areas that need better explanation? Are the areas that would make for better inbound links if we treated the editorial material a little better.